Agenda Item AGENDA STAFF REPORT ASR Control 26-000090
MEETING DATE:	03/24/26
legal entity taking action:	Board of Supervisors
board of supervisors district(s):	All Districts
SUBMITTING Agency/Department:	County Executive Office (Approved)
Department contact person(s):	Thomas A. Miller (714) 834-6019
	Kevin Onuma (714) 647-3939

Subject: Approve Charge Ready Transport Program and Related Easements

ceo CONCUR

County Counsel Review

Clerk of the Board

Concur

Approved Agreement to Form

Discussion

3 Votes Board Majority

Budgeted: N/A

Current Year Cost: N/A

Annual Cost: N/A

Staffing Impact:

# of Positions:

Sole Source: N/A

Current Fiscal Year Revenue: N/A

Funding Source: N/A	County Audit in last 3 years: No
Levine Act Review Completed: Yes

Prior Board Action: N/A

RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):

Find that the proposed projects are categorically exempt from CEQA, Class 1 – Existing Facilities pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301.

Authorize the Chief Real Estate Officer or County of Orange Department Heads as listed on Attachment C, to execute Program Participation Agreements with Southern California Edison, through December 31, 2026, for the deployment of make-ready electrical infrastructure and/or the receipt of related rebates under the Charge Ready Transport Program, and to approve and execute amendments to such agreements, with the approval of County Counsel, for minor, non-material changes that do not result in any additional cost or liability to the County of Orange.

Authorize the Chief Real Estate Officer or designee to execute Easement Deeds granting temporary construction and/or permanent rights, as necessary, to Southern California Edison for the construction, installation and/or provision of permanent electrical service to the Charge Ready Transport Program electrical vehicle chargers, and to approve and execute minor, non-material changes to the Easement Deeds, with the approval of County Counsel, that do not result in any additional cost or liability to the County of Orange.

SUMMARY:

Approval of the County of Orange’s participation in Southern California Edison’s Charge Ready Transport Program will reduce the County of Orange’s costs for fleet electrification needed to comply with California Public Utilities Commission mandates.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

The County of Orange (County) is pursuing fleet electrification to comply with state and California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) mandates. A significant cost of fleet electrification is the installation of electrical make-ready infrastructure required to support electric vehicle (EV) charging. Participation in Southern California Edison’s (SCE) Charge Ready Transport (CRT) Program will allow the County to reduce these infrastructure costs substantially.

The CRT Program provides incentives to public agencies for fleet electrification by either allowing SCE to design and construct make-ready electrical infrastructure on participant property or providing rebates of up to 80 percent for customer-constructed make-ready infrastructure. SCE make-ready electrical infrastructure under the CRT Program includes utility-installed components (transformers, panels, trenching, wiring) necessary to prepare a site for installation of EV chargers. Additional program information can be found in the Charge Ready Transport Handbook and SCE CRT Quick Reference Guide which are attached as Attachments D and E. Industry cost data and third-party estimates indicate that electrical infrastructure typically represents 70 to 80 percent of total EV charging installation costs. As a result, participation in the CRT Program is critical to minimizing County expenditures associated with fleet electrification.

OC Public Works, in coordination with County departments, conducted a planning effort to identify suitable County facilities for overnight fleet EV charging. This included reviewing anticipated fleet vehicle replacement schedules under the California Air Resources Board Advanced Clean Fleets regulations and evaluating existing electrical capacity at candidate sites. Nine priority sites were identified that collectively support a substantial portion of anticipated fleet electrification needs over the next ten years. Preliminary electrical assessments and conceptual designs were prepared to support CRT Program applications and funding reservations. These planning efforts do not commit the County to construction expenditures and are intended solely to secure program eligibility and incentives.

OC Public Works has submitted CRT Program applications for nine County-owned sites supporting multiple County departments as shown on Attachment C. The CRT Program is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2026, and all participating sites must be under agreement by that date. Accordingly, timely Board of Supervisors (Board) authorization is required to allow County departments to execute CRT Program agreements with SCE and secure available incentives before program expiration.

Participation in the CRT Program requires execution of program agreements with SCE and, for certain sites, the grant of temporary construction and/or permanent utility easements to allow SCE to install and operate electrical infrastructure. The Recommended Actions authorize County Department Heads to execute CRT Program-related agreements and authorize the Chief Real Estate Officer or designee to execute required Easement Deeds. The Recommended Actions also allow approval of minor, non-material amendments to these documents, with County Counsel approval, provided there is no additional cost or liability to the County and no material change to the agreements.

Delegating this authority will enable efficient program implementation across multiple sites and departments while preserving Board oversight of material changes.

Compliance with CEQA: The proposed project is categorically exempt (Class 1) from the provisions of CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 because it provides for the operation, repair, maintenance and minor alteration of existing public facilities involving negligible or no expansion of use.

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

The amount of funding and/or rebates to be committed by SCE is currently unknown and will be determined upon review and approval of individual CRT Program Participation Agreements. There is no direct cost to the County associated with approval of the recommended actions. Future costs of medium-heavy-duty EV vehicles and charging equipment, in addition to the electrical infrastructure described herein will be addressed by the participating Departments within existing budgetary resources or through future budget approvals, as applicable.

In the event reduced or terminated County funding causes a reduction in the acquisition of contractually obligated procurement of at least two medium-heavy-duty EV vehicles per site, the County would be obligated to reimburse SCE a prorated amount of the reserved CRT Program funds.

STAFFING IMPACT:

N/A

REVIEWING AGENCIES:

Orange County Public Works

ATTACHMENT(S):

Attachment A - Southern California Edison Charge Ready Transport Program Participation Agreement
Attachment B - Southern California Edison Charge Ready Transport Program Easement
Attachment C - List of Nine Priority Site Locations and Associated County Department(s)
Attachment D - Charge Ready Transport Handbook
Attachment E - SCE CRT Quick Reference Guide